The Best Pepper Spray of 2019

Table of Contents

With most safety and security items, you want to have them in case of an emergency, but of course you hope you’ll never have to use them. The same is true of pepper spray, a widely used and convenient self defense technique that doesn’t require any fancy martial arts or strength training.

Of course, pepper spray won’t work in all situations, for example if you are attacked by someone you know and don’t have it handy. But it’s ideal for fighting off attackers who approach victims randomly, perhaps when they’re walking on the street alone at night. With a quick spray, your assailant will be immobilized with pain, and you can make your getaway. But which pepper sprays are at the top of the heap? Let me show you.

Editor’s Pick

SABRE Pepper Spray Keychain

SABRE Pepper Spray Keychain

You know a pepper spray is legitimate when it's used by police departments in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, plus in over six continents and over 40 countries worldwide!

Editor’s Pick

SABRE Pepper Spray Keychain

For the United States Customs and Border Protection to the Chicago Police Department, SABRE Pepper Spray is the gold standard. A single keychain contains 25 bursts, way more than the industry average.

Pros: Despite it’s widespread use among law enforcement, the SABRE Pepper Spray is available for a super affordable price. It has a 10 foot range and a shelf life of four years. I also like that it contains both CS tear gas along with UV dye to identify your attacker, god forbid you should have to use it.

Cons: I wasn’t too happy with the SABRE Pepper Spray’s lock, which slid around a little too easily for my liking.

Shop Amazon

SABRE Pepper Spray Keychain

SABRE Pepper Spray Keychain

You know a pepper spray is legitimate when it's used by police departments in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, plus in over six continents and over 40 countries worldwide!

Top Contender

Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II

Is your attacker wearing glasses or even a ski mask? That’s no problem for the Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II, which can travel 13 feet in a tenth of a second at 112 MPH.

Pros: Not only is the Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II super fast and powerful, but it also has a pretty nice 13 foot range. It’s OC level is 10%, making for some painful eyes, plus, it provides you with 4.2 oz of spray, pretty generous if you ask me.

Cons: Of course, with more product comes more expense, and the Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II costs about twice as much as it’s competitors.

Shop Amazon

Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II

Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II

Are you a straight shooter? Then you'll love the Kimber MFG., Inc. PepperBlaster II, which lets you shoot spray at a fast 112 MPH.

Best Spray

SABRE Red Pepper GEL

You want to be able to actually get a strong stream of spray into the face of a potential assailant, right? Well, when it comes to the actual capacity of a pepper spray to shoot a long distance, the Sabre Red Pepper Spray might be just the answer.

Pros: The Red Pepper Spray has a strong formula that works better in the wind than many other sprays on the market. The burn is significant and dyes individuals that have been sprayed for identification.

Cons: This is a strong spray that is a larger canister, not particularly discreet and not legal in all states, like our home state of NY.

Shop Amazon

SABRE Red Pepper GEL

SABRE Red Pepper GEL

This pepper spray shoots a strong stream up to 20ft to help repel potential assailants and give you time to make your escape.

Best For Self Defense

Guard Dog Security Pepper Spray Keychain

If you’re looking to cause some serious damage for a quick getaway, then look no further than the Guard Dog Security Pepper Spray. It’s formula, a combination of OC, tear gas and UV dye, will make sure your attacker is immobilized and can be easily identified after.

Pros: This pepper spray has the highest concentration of OC, the stuff that makes pepper spray painful, at a whopping 18%. It also includes tear gas, plus UV dye to make sure your attacker is identifiable for the police. Plus, the 2.4 oz bottle has 12 bursts, which should last you a while.

Cons: Unfortunately, you can’t get this pepper spray shipped to you if you live in D.C, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York or Wisconsin.

Shop Amazon

Guard Dog Security Pepper Spray Keychain

Guard Dog Security Pepper Spray Keychain

This pepper spray is particularly painful, with 18% OC and a range of 16 feet, plus tear gas and UV dye to identify the perp.

Best For Women

POM White Pepper Spray Keychain

As long as your attacker is within 12 feet, you’ll be able to shoot them with the POM White Pepper Spray. It comes with a flip top for easy access, whether you’re walking home alone at night or are in the basement of your apartment building doing laundry.

Pros: The POM White Pepper Spray is made up of 10% OC, which means that it’ll cause someone a lot of pain immediately. The 12-foot range is impressive. Plus, the spray contains 1.4% MC, which stands for Major capsaicinoids. In English, that means that it’s super strong, as the upper limit typically stops at 1.33%.

Cons: I thought the flip top design was a little shaky, and definitely opened in my bag a few times without me touching it.

Shop Amazon

POM White Pepper Spray Keychain

POM White Pepper Spray Keychain

Available in over eight colors on a convenient keychain, this pepper spray is perfect for the everyday woman looking to defend herself from attackers.

Pepper Spray Methodology

Pepper Spray Methodology

Here’s what I look for in pepper spray:

Spray type: Between fog, foam, stream and gel, there’s a bunch of different ways that pepper spray can come out, each with it’s own advantages and disadvantages. For the largest range, go with a stream pattern, although you’ll need to have good aim for best results. If aim isn’t your thing, I’d recommend a fog pattern, which covers a larger area and range. Foam and gel are ideal to use indoors, while gel has a longer range.

Range: This has to do with spray type, of course, but I prefer pepper sprays with ranges of 10 feet or more.

Number of bursts: This means the number of shots you’ll get with your pepper spray, usually around 10 to 25.

Ingredients: The ingredients of pepper spray determine how strong it is, which is obviously super important. The most important measure is the OC level, which typically runs from 2% to 15% although I’ve seen higher. Other ingredients to look out for include MC, which stands for Major capsaicinoids, CRC, which stands for Capsaicin and related capsaicinoids, as well as the Scoville scale, which measures heat. Your pepper spray should have an SHU rating of 500,000 or higher.

Size: Make sure the pepper spray size and weight is appropriate for your everyday bag, as you’ll want to have it with you at all times.

Pepper Spray Tips

This section is particularly important, as it’s easy to accidentally get some pepper spray in your eye. To avoid that, here are some best practices:

Distance: Try to stand no more than 12 feet away from the person you’re spraying with pepper spray, to make sure that it’ll actually reach them.

Wind: Wind can cause the pepper spray to go back at you, so keep that in mind when you’re spraying.

Don’t rub: If you do end up accidentally spraying yourself with pepper spray, rinse your eyes out with cold water and whole milk to reduce the swelling, and wash your hands immediately. Above all, don’t rub your eyes, as that will worsen the burning.

Subscribe Today!

Gabe Turner is an attorney and journalist with a passion for home tech and secure, efficient living. Since graduating from NYU Law, he has maintained a paradoxical existence of trying to live life adventurously while remaining staunchly risk-averse. He is torn by the dual desires of wanting to only be in Brooklyn writing about housing policy and smart home tech and aspiring to visit his friends scattered across the globe. Gabe believes that stable, safe communities are the cornerstone to a vibrant and healthy society, and it is this passion that brought him to contribute to Security Baron.